Golden retrievers are considered very trainable, and tend to be playful and intelligent.
Goldies have a reputation for being great with kids, and are a popular choice of family pet.
They are no less useful in the field. Their acute sense of smell, and keenness to please makes them amiable shooting companions.
Changes in the breed
I spent much of my early teens in the company of a the Golden Retriever pictured below. He was a rich dark russet gold with a lightly feathered wavy coat.
He came from the Sharland Kennels whose dogs were dual purpose, both shown and shot over in the field.
His father was CH Sharland the Scott you can see an image of Scot in the link, taken sometime in the 1960s.
These dogs bore little resemblance to the pale cream, long haired powder puffs often found in today’s show rings.
Purpose
Golden retrievers are gundogs bred to retrieve game in waterlogged environments. Their dense undercoat provides excellent resistance to cold and is neatly covered with a wavy waterproof overcoat.
Sadly the breed has become very divided, with working strains retaining their ability in the field and still looking much like the beautiful dual purpose dogs of my childhood.
The show fraternity on the other hand, for reasons best known to themselves, has seen fit to increase the size of the dogs and the length of coat, and to dilute the rich colour of these lovely animals. And I know of no kennels that now shows and trials their goldens.
Please let me know if I am misinformed. I would be delighted to update this article accordingly
Rob Roy
My childhood friend was named Rob Roy and together we explored the local woods and heathland. Often returning home as dark was settling in. What freedoms children had in those days.
Rob died in my mother’s arms with his head on my lap, just before my 18th birthday. He had cancer, which can be a problem in this breed, and was helped on his way by our kindly vet. He is very fondly remembered.
Modern working golden retrievers
Happily there are now several thriving kennels breeding the traditional working type of Golden Retriever. Kennels like Canburne in Devon. If you are prepared to do your research and maybe travel a little further, a working pup can be purchased and will make a splendid and somewhat unusual shooting companion.
As with any breed of gundog, it pays to pick a reputable breeder who is aware of health issues in their breed and is working to improve the health of their lines. Asking about cancer is important and a good breeder will not shy away from discussing this issue, and how it affects their own breeding strategies.
FTCH Marcus Maybe
In 2006 to the delight of the working golden community, FTCH Marcus Maybe of Wadesmill, a stunning five year old golden retriever, won the prestigious International Gundog League championship. The first golden to do so since the 1980s.
Hopefully another golden will soon follow in his footsteps. It would be great to see more of these handsome and hard working gundogs on shoots up and down the country.
How about you?
Do you have a working golden? I’d love to hear about him (or her). Please feel free to comment below
If you enjoy my articles, you might like my new book: The Happy Puppy Handbook
Hi Pippa
I currently have a 2 year Golden Retriever which I have been training from a very early stage.He has no FTCH in his bloodlines and is from show stock.
I cannot believe at how well he is coming on and he has competed in working tests and has only fell on the last hurdle due to lack of experience.
He competed in his first Trial in November and was put out for bad heel work but sat through the morning without a noise and happily watched the other dogs retrieving live game.
He will now be working alongside other working dogs over the next 8 months to give him the experience he requires to compete in working field trails for this year.They are fantastic dogs but require more time and training than Labradors but when you see what they can do it is just great to watch.
What I am saying is that do not judge a Golden Retriever by its cover if they trained correctly they can be a fantastic Gundog.
Thanks Gary
Thanks for posting Gary and well done for doing such a great job of training your dog
Hi Pippa
So many happy memories with my mother when she was showing Scott. He was an amazing dog. My mum was a breeder who only wanted to improve the breed with eye and hip tests. She did this with all her breeds. It has been 7 years on the 22nd of this month and she is still sadly missed by us all.
Hi Pippa
Brought a tear to my eye as well as Joyce Munday was my Grandmother . Her dogs were her life and Scott always held a special place in her heart xx
Oh how lovely to hear from you! Thanks for posting Charlotte 🙂
Hi Pippa
I have just seen the photo of Rob Roy and it brought tears to my eyes as I new Ch Sharland the Scot personally, spending many hours with Joyce Munday and learning about the GR in work! I was privileged to be part of the group (Joyce M, Elma Stonex, Rosemary Clarke and others) that spent time together learning from each other about our beautiful dogs (me just listening!). Yes, Joyce really believed in the saying ‘I want a working dog I can show, not a show dog I hope can work!’ Hers were worked hard through the whole of the shooting, including Scot, and I was often with her too. Then we would all turn up to Crufts and see whose dog had the most scratches on its nose! And those were the days when the FT classes were full.
Will stop, but there are many happy memories.
Carolyn
How lovely! What wonderful memories you must have. I met Joyce when I was a little girl, and don’t really remember her, though I know my parents liked her very much. Thank you so much for commenting 🙂
Over the last 21 years have had two lovely working breed golden retrievers, and now I am looking for a new puppy or young part trained dog. I have just started by search and sadly most breeders seem to focus on the show breed. Can you point me in the right direction to find a breeder of working field trial breed golden retrievers in the north of England or southern Scotland.
Any suggestions much appreciated
Both Gaytonwood and Dikeadaze show and work retrievers, as does Di Ewings over in E Anglia to name 3.
Hi Karen, thanks for that. I do appreciate that some show goldens are worked in the shooting field. It would be great to know of a Golden Retriever that had won a Field Trial and been successful in the show ring. I can’t find any trial results on these sites. Do you have a link? Pippa
On my 2nd golden retreiver, for picking up but had them 40 years ago as pets only, and remember well the dark coloured, true goldies that my father used to breed with fond memories. Big strong well built, dark dogs with a wonderful nature.Had 2 labs, but my heart lies with goldens, and managed to get the pick of a litter 12 years ago- a great dog, easy to train, and a most athletic dog and very loyal. Unfortunately lost him to cancer at 10 years old- too young, but some fantastic memories,Bought another one when he was 7, and worked the 2 for 2 years, a great pair, and now looking for another pup, or year old to bring on, but seem few and farr between, so any litters you know of would be appreciated. I live in scotland so I am sure I will hear of a litter soon.
Regards
Brian Millar